Local News

FM sales tax revenue keeps strong pace

Fort Morgan continues to see sales tax growth in 2014, with both of first two months of 2014 yielding more for the city coffers than in the same months in the last seven years.

The February city sales tax total was $477,918, which was a record for that month.

The first-two-month total for 2014 stands at $930,129. In 2013, it was $863,067. That indicates more than a 7.7 percent increase from last year to start off the new year.

City officials are hopeful that growth will continue throughout 2014.

"We'll hope to see this trend continue," City Manager Jeff Wells said. "We'll ride this train as far as it'll take us."

He said that the strong sales tax revenue showed that sales businesses likely were having a good start to the year.

"It's good for our companies," he said.

City Treasurer Jeanne Kinney said she was not surprised that the numbers continued the upward movement over previous years.

"You'd expect it to be higher for the same reasons as it was higher in the second half of last year," she said.

Those reasons included the addition of several businesses, including Maverik gas station and convenience store and the Hampton Inn, as well as the continued influx of people from nearby construction projects.

The workers on the Interstate 76 project between Fort Morgan and Brush and at other construction sites likely were spending money in Fort Morgan restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores and other businesses, as well as oil field workers, Kinney and Wells both told the Times earlier this year.

Fort Morgan Mayor Terry McAlister said he knew people were buying things and shopping in Fort Morgan.

"Sometimes it's hard to find a parking space downtown," he said, not sounding upset about that dilemma because it meant people were going to the businesses.

McAlister said he was happy that people were "buying local and spending money here."

He also pointed to the workers staying at local hotels and then spending money on food and gas here.